ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: I want my students to understand the importance of investing money over the long term and to appreciate the benefits of beginning at an early age. Goal(s): Students will explore the benefits of investing for the future.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: What role does the U.S. government play in the economy? What are the rules of supply and demand? What is a stock and how does the stock market work? What are the advantages and disadvantages of cash versus credit? What are the major economic indicators and how do they work? What are the advantages and disadvantages of investing short term versus long term and earlier versus later? Objectives: Students will summarize the laws of supply and demand. Students will demonstrate the effects of investing money early and for the long term. Students will assess the effects of economic indicators. Students will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of cash versus credit and opportunity cost.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? Students will be assessed with quizzes on economic terms. What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? Students will be assigned an essay in which they will: 1) describe a choice they had to make (both what they chose to do and what they did not do) and 2) use opportunity cost to explain why they made the choice they did. What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? Students will submit a portfolio in which they selected, followed, charted, and assessed the progress five different stocks. What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? Students will participate in a variety of on-line activities in which they will complete self-guided questions. Students will also submit a reflective journal responding to guided questions given by the teacher.

Instructional Strategies

Problem-based learning strategies will be used to involve students in their stock portfolios. Students will utilize analysis, synthesis, and evaluation skills as they research, assemble, and appraise their portfolios.